Unexpected Circumstances
by DumberAs
Summary: Flim and Flam has always considered themselves to prepared to handle any situation that was thrown at them. But when the death of their sister leaves them in charge of their only nephew, the two salesponies come across separate paths as they handle grief and raising a child.


**Hi! Welcome to my first MLP fanfic! I have always been a fan of the show, and I have written a crossover but deleted it years ago. But now inspiration has hit me! I came with the thought of what it would be like if one of the characters, or well characters, had to deal with a life changing event! I was going to originally do it with Bulk Biceps, but I settled on the twin con-ponies Flim and Flam! So enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 1: The News

When one receives a letter, it could hold many possibilities. News from a friend or family member. Maybe telling you what has happened to them. Something positive like getting into a relationship or college. Or maybe something depressing, like a family member passing on. For two certain ponies, that was the case for them. Green eyes stared at the information on the paper. Tears forming. How could this of happened? The last they spoke to their relative… the pony shook their head. It just couldn't be. This tragic event… their family had been torn apart now. What were they going to do? The recipient of the letter looked over at their sibling. The other had just walked up to their residence that was their hotel room.

"Hello dear brother. Anything interesting in our mail today?" The sibling, a tall slender light yellow unicorn pony with a red and white mane asked.

The other pony, the one holding the letter, looked the same as their sibling, only they dorn a red mustache.

"Indeed we have Flim… but unfortunately… it is not of good news."

"What do you mean Flam?" The pony, Flim, asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Flim and Flam, the twin business/con-ponies were known for their smooth talking and negotiating deals. The two ponies often traveled from town to town, selling products. Whether the products was genuine for their services or just a hoax, it didn't matter to the twins as long as they managed to get plenty of bits for them. They had gotten roped into working in a casino by the owner Gladmane, but with the help of Applejack and Fluttershy, an earth and Pegasus ponies from a town called Ponyville, helped the brothers see that Gladmane was manipulating the brothers along with other employees of the casino to argue to prevent them from leaving. Since they had ran Gladmane out of town, the two brothers took over the casino. The twin salesponies wore matching blue and white stripped vests with a black bowtie and straw hats with a blue ribbon tied on it. Even their cutiemarks, their special symbol on their flank of showing what made them special, complimented each other. Flim had a fourth of an apple while Flam had three-fourths of an apple. Flam looked down.

"One of our relatives… our…our little sister and her husband… they are dead."

Flim stared at his brother. The salesponies had a younger sister. Echo Heart was her name. The twin unicorns were close to their younger sister, but as the two left to travel, they had very little contact with her. And now to discover such news… Neither brother knew how to process such information. Flam, his heart ached. So much was left unsaid between them. While the last time they spoke was on good terms, it still hurt to know that you would no longer speak to one of your siblings. To see her smile. To hear her laugh. Flam could still recall the last time the three of them have gotten together. Echo Heart and her husband Star Nova, had just had a colt. Flam looked down at the paper, a tear falling down his cheek. Their nephew… he no longer had his parents. What was going to happen to the young foal now?

Flim didn't know what to think. He didn't want to believe that their precious sister was gone. She was too tough of a pony to give up on life. He cautiously went up. He gently moved Flam's hoof so he could get a good look at what the letter said.

 _My dearests brothers Flim and Flam,_

 _If you have received this letter, than it must mean that I and my husband have passed. However the circumstances has come to be is less of importance. You both know how I am and how my values of life are. My husband's and I's belongs will be dispersed to the rest of our family, however we're giving you two our greatest gift. We require you two to be the new guardians of our son, your nephew, Nova Flare. I know you two will love him. I know you haven't seen him since his birth, and we both agreed that you two raising him would be the best option if something was to happen._

 _Nova is just a wonderful young colt. There are things that he does sometimes that reminds me of you two so much. I know you three will get along. There is one thing that you will learn about him that makes him truly special. Don't treat him any different from any other young foal his age. Just help him feel happy and raise him right is all I ask of you two. Take good care of my child. If I could still be there, I would. Until we meet again._

 _Love_

 _Echo Heart_

Flim wiped a tear away. Until… wait. He looked at the last line. Until we meet again? Until… could this be some elaborate con she was pulling? Of course! That sly girl! He knew Echo Heart had given up her conning ways when she had gotten married, but could she have had to go back for some reason? He smiled. That had to be it! Echo wasn't dead. She was just pulling the scheme of the year! What it was, he didn't know. Then again, she wasn't the type to let others in on her plans if it didn't involve them. He smiled over at his brother. The other just looked at him sadly.

"I know Flim… It would be good to see our nephew…only if the circumstance was different…"

"I'm not smiling because of that Flam! I'm smiling because Echo isn't dead!"

The other unicorn looked over at him in disbelief.

"And how do you come up with that?"

"She said so in her letter! Until we meet again! Right there!" Flim exclaimed, pointing at the line. "This all just some con that she's pulling! I'm telling you brother, Echo always did like pulling big schemes and this is her biggest yet!"

Flam looked at the letter. He could see where his brother was coming at, but it said at the beginning that they wouldn't have gotten the letter unless she had died. The mustached unicorn sighed. He shook his head. He didn't want to burst Flim's miniscule hope of their sister still being alive, but it had to be done. Their sister was gone and she was never going to come back. Flam wanted her to still be alive just as badly as Flim did, but to deny her death and to act like she was still alive? It was false hope. A lie. Now lying was no stranger to the two brothers. They lived on half-truth and lies to sell their products. But to just lie about a family member's death? That was crossing a moral line that they agreed to never cross.

"Flim…" Flam started slowly, placing a hoof on the other's shoulder. "Echo isn't coming back. I believe when she said 'We'll meet again' she meant she'll see us again when our time is up. When we unite in heaven. She's not pulling some big scheme brother. She's gone. For good. We wouldn't have gotten the letter if she wasn't."

Flim jerked away, glaring at his brother.

"You're wrong! I know she's alive! She said so in her letter! She's not dead!"

"Flim, please…" Flam begged.

"No! She's not dead and I'll find a way to prove to you that she's not! This is just a big con that she's trying to pull on us and the rest of Equestria! Well not this stallion! If you want to fall victim to her con, then you're as naïve as everyone else she's tricking. We're her older brothers! Everything she was taught came through us! How can you not see it?"

Flam looked at his brother with sympathy. Even though the two were identical twins, despite Flam having the mustache, just so ponies could tell the two apart, most of their actions were near opposites. While the two were smooth-talking ponies, charismatic, charming, intelligent, confident, sly businessmen, it didn't mean that the two of them shared the same brain. You'd be surprise how many ponies assumed that just because they were twins that they had to think the same. What a ridiculous thought! He just shook his head. He wanted to believe Echo Heart was still alive. He wanted to believe that this was a trick but he knew that she wasn't. She had given up her conning ways when she had gotten married. It was due to her cons that she had met Star Nova and it was her cons that she nearly lost the love of her life, which is why she had given them up.

"It's not that I don't see it Flim… I just know that she is gone and she's never coming back. I don't believe this is a con. This is a tragedy that has stricken our family. We're now responsible for our only nephew. Flim… I-I know you think she's alive and… anything I say probably won't deter you, but please… if you're so determined to try and find evidence that Echo is alive…then don't tell our nephew. He doesn't need a reason to have false hope. Maybe… maybe the funeral will change your mind. You'll see… but…" Flam trailed off. He didn't know what to say to try and convince his twin that their sister wasn't coming back. He sighed and his head lowered, shoulders sagging. He turned to go and deal with their business. "I don't know what to say to convince you. I'm going to go and see what I can do for our nephew. …I'll see you later brother. Please… don't work yourself into a frenzy because you believe Echo is pulling a con. We have a business to run and a colt to take care of now."

Without another word, Flam walked towards the office the two brothers shared since they took over the casino. Flim stared at his brother, the letter in his roof. He clutched it in anger and threw it on the ground, stomping his hoof on it.

"She is pulling a con Flam! And I will make you see that I am right!" he yelled at his brother.

He growled as the door shut. He snorted in anger, turning to head to the kitchen unit in their room. He was going to make Flam see that he was right. Echo was pulling the wool over their eyes and she wanted them, or either needed them to go along with it to allow her to succeed it. He'd pretend he'd believe that she was dead to other ponies just so her con to be successful, but he wasn't going to let his family think that she had gotten the drop on them. He stared at the coffee machine as it brewed his desired beverage into a cup.

"I'm going to prove to Flam that you're not dead Echo. You may of gotten him to believe that you're dead, but not me. I know you. And you are not going to fool me. I will wait till your con is over Echo, and then Flam will have to believe me when you come back. Mark my words. I _will_ find you."


End file.
